Tapped In: The Bennington Blog — I’m so impressed with Bennington’s website (: It has beautiful backgrounds. Okay, so the context is that I’m an international student, & I’ve done one year of LLB Law in a UK University. I’m on a year off now to apply to liberal arts colleges; I once gave up the dream for my parents & now I’m back on it ! So I’m wondering if it’s better to apply as a first year or as a transfer applicant, & a major factor for me’s scholarships. & how’re the classes in Bennington conducted ? thanks (:

I'm so impressed with Bennington's website (: It has beautiful backgrounds. Okay, so the context is that I'm an international student, & I've done one year of LLB Law in a UK University. I'm on a year off now to apply to liberal arts colleges; I once gave up the dream for my parents & now I'm back on it ! So I'm wondering if it's better to apply as a first year or as a transfer applicant, & a major factor for me's scholarships. & how're the classes in Bennington conducted ? thanks (: — Asked by Anonymous

Glad you like it! I think it’s pretty neat too.

The first thing I have to say is that, if you’ve taken classes at any other college after secondary school, you are required to apply as a transfer student, regardless of whether or not you are interested in transferring any credits. The major difference between applying as a transfer and as a freshman is that, for transfers, the Plan is somewhat accelerated. Whereas freshmen are given the first year of their time at Bennington to explore as many different subjects as they can, transfers may not have quite the same flexibility - the expectation is that the more coursework you’ve completed, the better an idea you’ll have of what you want to concentrate in. So, if you come in as a sophomore, you would be expected to write a Plan proposal in your first term; if you come in as a junior, you’d have to confirm your Plan by your second term at Bennington, etc.

As far as scholarships go, there is no difference between how transfer/freshman financial aid applications are considered - they are considered for merit- and need-based aid on the same criteria. You can read a little more about Financial Aid here.

How are the classes conducted? Typically, they are discussion-based, smaller in size, and focused more upon writing than testing (though some might argue that writing IS a form of testing). Between each class, most professors will assign reading, which can then be the basis of the next session’s class discussion. It’s tough to paint a picture of ALL the classes, since there are so many differences from one to the other to the next, but I think the defining trait of all Bennington classes is that they ask students to take ownership of the materials that they are learning in class and to ask critical questions of the coursework and of the topics at hand.

The best way to get a sense of how classes are run, of course, is to visit campus and sit in on a class. Think about it! We’re really nice, I swear.

-Evan ‘13